Red Sox, Braves woes continue, but they can't panic

The Atlanta Braves bullpen has struggled, a big reason why the team has lost most of its Wild Card lead. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

After Jed Lowrie grounded out weakly to Baltimore Orioles closer Jim Johnson to end the bottom of the ninth and the game, boos from much of the capacity crowd echoed throughout Fenway Park. The Boston Red Sox had just lost 6-4, having imploded late for the second straight night, and with that defeat the four-game series went to Baltimore.

This was the first time since August of 2003 that the Orioles had won a series at Fenway. They picked a good time for it. Because of the loss Boston, losers of 16 of 21 September games, is no longer only hearing the Tampa Bay Rays behind them; the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have joined the race, at 2 1/2 games back with seven games remaining.

In the National League, the Atlanta Braves are also in panic mode. The team had an 8 1/2 game cushion over the St. Louis Cardinals in the Wild Card standings as of September 1st. After losing to the Marlins 21 days later and watching the Cardinals beat the Mets, the gap is only 1 1/2 games. The San Francisco Giants have an outside-shot at four games back.

There are many reasons why these teams have a chance to ultimately catch up and leapfrog. Boston’s pitching has been as bad as can be realistically imagined. The back-end of Atlanta’s bullpen, which was amazing over the season’s first five months, has faltered this September. The offense for both teams isn’t hitting enough, and when they are putting up enough runs the pitchers who make up their rotations and bullpens have struggled. It has been a collective nightmare that won’t end.

The Red Sox were bailed out Wednesday night when the New York Yankees finished off a double-header sweep of the Rays. The division was clinched by New York, and Boston’s Wild Card lead was actually lengthened by a half game over Tampa Bay. That doesn’t make their struggles any less significant or the continuous defeats any less frustrating.

Hanging your head can only hurt Boston's chances, Mr. Ortiz. (Photo: Reuters/ Brian Snyder)

“If I’m the fans I would be frustrated too,” slugger David Ortiz said, as documented by WEEI. “I’ve been here what, nine years? We’ve never collapsed that bad. Trust me, we’ve been through some tough times. It’s bad though. It seems like no matter what we do it’s going to be bad.

“The way we’ve been playing, it’s crazy,” he continued. “I’ve never seen anything like that around here since I’ve been here.”

The Braves are in a similar surprising position. They have gone 5-13 this month, having lost their last two series against divisional foes. Their decline isn’t garnering as much publicity as Boston’s, but it should. Their offense is hitting only .251 in September with an equally measly .321 OBP, and their bullpen has taken seven losses.

Atlanta’s head isn’t buried in their hands yet, though. They know the ball is in their court. They are in control of their own destiny. Play as hard as possible and let the cards fall where they may.

Veteran and star third-baseman Chipper Jones has the right attitude, as documented by the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

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“We’ve got to go balls to the wall and not hold anything back. We’ve still got everybody in the rearview mirror. We’ve just got to go take care of business. We’ve got to get some good pitching performances and we’ve got to start hitting with some guys on base. It’s been tough sledding with runners in scoring position. But that’s the beauty of this game, there’s always tomorrow – or the day after tomorrow.”

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Boston should have this mindset. Jones and his teammates may be sweating profusely seeing the Cardinals right behind them, but they aren’t panicking in the press. They aren’t giving their fans even more reason to worry. And they aren’t making themselves believe they can’t get on track. On the other side, Ortiz is just making Boston’s situation worse.

It’s contagious, too. “That’s a sign of a [expletive] team,” Dustin Pedroia said. “Good teams don’t go 5-16 in any month.” As reported by the Boston Globe‘s Pete Abraham, the star second-baseman “sat slumped in a chair at his locker after the game, staring straight ahead in apparent disbelief.”

Both teams are shocked by their freefalls, but, as Jones said, they aren’t chasing. Win, and the Red Sox and Braves can make the playoffs and enter the postseason on a high note. Lose, deserve to be left out, and rightfully be forced to ponder how it all went so wrong so fast.

A lot has gone wrong so far for the two reeling clubs. Atlanta appears fairly calm, while Boston’s players have clearly lost their marbles. The two teams, no matter how damaged their psyches may be, have to remember is that time remains to recover. Will they right the ship and hold off teams on their heels?